South Park

South Park

South Park

JULY 21--The Virginia man who this year threatened the creators of "South Park" over an episode featuring the Prophet Muhammad dressed in a bear suit, was arrested today on federal charges after speaking openly to the FBI about his connection to a terror organization and his plans to travel overseas to fight with the group.

Zachary Chesser, 20, was charged with providing material support to Al-Shabaab, a terror group affiliated with Al Qaeda. According to this affidavit sworn by FBI Agent Mary Brandt Kinder, Chesser, a convert to Islam, spoke at length with agents about his attempts to travel to Kenya and Somalia to join Al-Shabaab and his devotion to jihad, which has included his operation of web sites and a You Tube channel stocked with jihadi propaganda.

Through the revolutionmuslim.com site, Chesser remarked in April that "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker would "probably end up" like a Dutch filmmaker who was murdered in retaliation for a film critical of the treatment of Islamic women. Along with focusing the public's attention on his extremist beliefs, Chesser's "South Park" threat resulted in fallout within his family. After his mother received death threats following the "South Park" remarks, Chesser told the FBI, "he was no longer on speaking terms with his parents."

During one of his interviews with federal agents, Chesser explained how he came up with the YouTube user ID, LearnTeachFightDie: "learn Islam, teach Islam, fight for Islam, and die in the name of Islam." (13 pages)